Home At Last! with Patty Gironda

Salt and Sugar Cured Pork Belly Light Smoke Cane Syrup Glaze Pan-fried Biscuit, Glazed Bacon, Fresh Tomato and Wasabi Mayo   Spying some freshly-sliced pork belly at the Asian market I frequent,  I knew I was destined to try my hand at curing, smoking and glazing my own bacon.. Happy with my first attempt, I'm already making notes to improve the next batch. My first process was curing the pork belly with equal parts sugar and salt.  After three days of curing I soaked the thick slices in cool water; changing the salty water every ten minutes or so. The pork belly was then laid out on a wire rack to dry before placing it in a smoker with dry hickory chips for three hours. I was after a light smoking and opted not to soak the wood. Finally, I placed the bacon in a pan and lightly fried the strips with a glaze of cane syrup. That was it. The strips were stored in the fridge until today when I pan-fri...

Safely on their way home to Albany, Georgia, this weekend's contented guests enjoyed a peaceful anniversary weekend filled with shopping at Lenox Mall in Atlanta, dinner at a few local eateries and several movie dates! After their leisurely departure we relaxed in the kitchen with a shared piece of French Toast-studded with crispy applewood smoked bacon and hand-blended syrup!  In another "lightbulb" moment I mentioned that it might be time to experiment with our pan-fried breadpudding and it's back to the "lab"! What sets my French Toast apart from other recipes is the heavenly blend of toasted pecans, neufchatel cheese, caramel mousse, and a teaspoon of buttery caramel.  Before grilling the crusty custard-soaked bread, I sprinkled both sides of my bread with cinnamon and brown sugar to create a nice crust!  A quenell of praline cream and four hand-blended syrups-topped with roasted pecans create a luxurious morning treat!